Janette Pellus, LCSW
People often come to therapy because something no longer works. A relationship feels strained or distant. Depression settles in. Old childhood wounds surface in ways that are harder to ignore. Over many years of practice, I've learned that these moments and events are not failures or diagnoses - they are invitations. We do not have control over all situations in life but finding meaning and purpose in these times can provide a framework for personal growth and development. My work is about guiding others through their life journey, helping them pay attention to many of the cues calling for inner change.
My Story
Like many psychotherapists of my generation, I was born to European parents who escaped the aftermath of WWII. The inherited trauma of that time shaped my nervous system early on, cultivating in me a kind of adaptive sixth sense - a deep sensitivity to suffering, resilience, and psychological complexity. My mother, born in Italy in 1925, was ahead of her time. Long before I became a psychotherapist, she awakened my interest in astrology, meditation, yoga, and nutritional healing. My father, a Holocaust survivor, embodied an unwavering faith in life. Together, they planted the seeds that would ultimately guide my life’s path.
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My own life brought its share of challenges. A traumatic childhood and a painful first marriage eventualy led me on a profound journey of self-discovery through the study of Evolutionary Astrology and Depth Astrology. I began to understand myself with greater compassion. What once felt like survival gradually became conscious, intentional healing.
I have now been a practicing therapist for over a decade and studying birth charts for even longer. For many years, I kept these two worlds separate. They seemed to belong to different languages of understanding — science and symbol, evidence and intuition. But my patients continued to struggle to make sense of the patterns that repeat in their lives. After more than 30 years of personal study and growth through astrology, I felt called to integrate this wisdom with psychotherapy and share it with others. When I began weaving astropsychology into my clinical work, I saw how deeply meaningful and transformative the integration could be; it fast-tracked my clients' progress. For me, astrology and psychotherapy are not separate paths — they are complementary ways of understanding the whole person. Over time, it became clear to me that they belong together, and I founded Chiron Counseling.
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If you are ready to release what no longer serves you and step into a freer, more creative, and fulfilling life, I would be honored to support you. Please feel free to reach out for a no-obligation consultation.
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Experience, Interests and Specialities
My years of clinical experience providing therapy in a variety of clinical settings has allowed me to treat a wide range of complex presentations and co-occuring disorders. I began my career in some of the most demanding environments, including inpatient psychiatric units serving individuals deemed criminally insane and registered sex offenders, as well as within Child Protective Services. These settings strengthened my ability to remain steady and grounded in the presence of extreme psychological states, while maintaining deep respect for the humanity that endures beneath even the most fractured presentations. Since 2016, my work has focused on outpatient psychotherapy, where I support individuals navigating cycles of loss, transformation, and renewal. I have spent several years in private practice and, prior to founding Chiron Counseling, worked both for two large international virtual-only mental health providers and within a private psychiatry practice.
I specialize in complex and childhood trauma, depression, anxiety, mood disorders, relationship conflict, substance use and additions and entrenched coping patterns that no longer serve. I have extensive experience providing both individual and group therapy.
In my work, I draw from a broad range of modalities, including Mindfulness-based CBT, DBT, Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), Schema Therapy and Humanistic Therapy. Unique to my practice is that I am a certified DBT therapist with extensive experience teaching DBT skills using the Marsha-Linehan method. To read more about the various modalities I incorporate into my practice, please visit the Modalities page of my site.
I also specialize in providing AstroPsychology, a specialized field merging astrology with depth psychology, focusing on using the astrological natal chart as a symbolic map of the human psyche to aid in counseling, personal growth, and self-understanding. It translates planetary positions into psychological functions, motivations, and developmental stages​. To read more about AstroPsychology, please visit the Services page of my site. ​
Personal
I currently reside in North Stamford. My free time is spent with my daughters and grandchildren, doing barre/pilates, astrology research and going for walks with my dog Nala.
Education and Training
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Master of Social Work - Our Lady of the Lake University (San Antonio, Texas)
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Bachelors of Social Work
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Certified DBT therapist - Behavioral Tech Institute
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Trained in Emotionally-Focused Therapy - NYCEFT (advanced training in-process)
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Certified Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapist (KAP) - Fluence